1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of cabinet assembling and, more specifically, to a cabinet support assembly for a moving conveyor system which enables a cabinet, particularly an appliance cabinet, to be selectively articulated substantially perpendicular to a moving direction of travel along a conveyor during assembly.
2. Discussion of the Art
In assembling various types of cabinets, a formed cabinet is directed along an assembly line upon a conveyor. As the cabinet reaches individual assembly stations, predetermined assembly functions are performed on the cabinet, either by assembly personnel or robotic units. When assembling rather large cabinet arrangements, an assembly operation could require line personnel to stand on a raised support and/or reach a fair distance in order to even access the assembly location. Certainly, this type of arrangement does not represent the most efficient method of aligning and attaching various components to the cabinet.
This problem can particularly occur in the production of various types of appliances, especially refrigerators. In the manufacture of a refrigerator, it is common to have a cabinet, formed from folding a metal cabinet blank, move down an assembly line upon a conveyor, with the cabinet being supported upon one or more fixed blocks attached to the conveyor. Most typically, the refrigerator cabinet would be supported in a fixed position on a back panel portion to expose the open front and other portions for particular assembly operations. The major drawback of such a known arrangement is the difficulties associated with assembling, including the manner of insertion and aligning, of various components given the bulky nature of the refrigerator cabinet, as well as the associated design considerations with respect to the mounting of a liner for the refrigerator. In any event, just given the size of the cabinet, performing certain assembly operations can be difficult.
To address this problem, it would be beneficial to incorporate a versatile cabinet support system for use in the assembly of appliances and other large cabinet arrangements. More particularly, it would be advantageous to employ a cabinet support system which enables a cabinet moving down an assembly line to be readily shifted to an efficient assembly position by tilting of the cabinet relative to the conveyor. Although it is known in the manufacturing art to provide product supports on conveyors wherein the supports can be tilted for various reasons, such as for off-loading of products which need to be sorted, there still exists a need in the art for a reliable and cost effective articulating support assembly which will enable a cabinet on a conveyor to be presented during assembly in an easy and convenient manner that enhances process efficiencies and flexibility so as to provide an optimum arrangement for assembly workmanship.
The present invention is directed to an articulating cabinet support assembly for a moving conveyor system wherein the support includes a base assembly, fixed to the conveyor, and a movable arm assembly. A cabinet traveling down an assembly line is supported on the arm assembly as the cabinet proceeds through various assembly stations. The arm assembly can articulate relative to the base assembly from a normally horizontal position to a position angled with respect to the direction of travel in order to enhance assembly procedures. Provisions are made to transfer the cabinet onto the arm assembly, with either the top or bottom of the cabinet defining a leading end in the direction of conveyor travel. In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, the cabinet can be manually tilted, in opposing directions, to an optimal position from either side of the conveyor, while having the arm assembly automatically repositioned to a desired position for return of the support at the end of the conveyor run.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base assembly includes a mounting plate fixed to a respective portion of the conveyor, an arm assembly pivot mount attached to the mounting plate, and a cam roller assembly. The pivot mount preferably includes a pair of spaced, upstanding plates which define a pivot axis for the articulating arm assembly. The cam roller assembly includes at least one cam roller which is rotatably attached to the arm assembly pivot mount, while being pivotable about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the cabinet. An adjustable tension spring arrangement is employed to bias the cam roller towards the pivot mount.
The arm assembly incorporates a cam roller guide including a pair of cam adjustment slides which are selectively, shiftably mounted on opposing sides of the cam roller, with the slides being adjustable towards and away from the cam roller. The slides are preferably constituted by bars having beveled edges adjacent the cam roller, with the bars being shiftable relative to respective slide retainers. The slides function to locate the cam roller by establishing a normal travel or home position for the assembly, with the home position being defined by a space formed between the slides. Each slide can be adjusted by a screw acting on an end portion of the slide and locked into position by a retainer screw which extends through a respective slide retainer.
The arm assembly also includes spaced side members through which the arm assembly is pivotally mounted to the upstanding plates of the base assembly, as well as side guides and rubber padding for supporting the cabinet in a protected manner. In addition, tilt stop plates of the arm assembly extend between the arm members, with adjustable screw stops extending through the stop plates. The screw stops are adapted to abut respective portions of the base assembly to limit the permissible degree of tilting for the arm assembly relative to the base assembly.
With this arrangement, each arm assembly is initially arranged in the home position for receipt of a respective cabinet, with the cam roller being positioned between terminal end portions of the sliders. An optical sensor is employed to coordinate the movement of a deliver conveyor and the conveyor employing the articulating support assembly of the invention. The side guides and padding on the arm assembly are preferably formed of rubber and protect the cabinet against sliding and marring. With the slides adjusted, the arm assembly is allowed to articulate relative to the base assembly, with the roller cam initially riding up the beveled or tapered edge of a respective slider, under increasing spring tension, and then rolling upon an exposed surface of the slider. The tension actually allows a smooth articulation by acting as a counterbalance to offset the weight of the cabinet. The arm assembly can be tilted until the stop screws abut the base assembly. The side guides also function here to retain the cabinet on the arm assembly in the desired, tilted position.
By riding up a respective slider, the arm assembly and, correspondingly, the cabinet can be tilted in opposing directions as needed for enhancing the overall assembly process. Therefore, the cabinet can be arranged in an assembler established, optimal position in each assembly stage. The conveyor can actually be continuously moved during this process or stopped in any number of positions. At least at the end of the conveyor run, fixed guide rail structure of the overall conveyor is provided to engage the arm assembly in order to force the arm assembly back to the home position as the cabinet is removed from the conveyor and the arm assembly continues to a position below the conveyor and back to receive another cabinet.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent when the above description is taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.